Phoenix, Arizona is well known for their warm weather. They have the hottest climate of any city within the United States. What they have not been known for is their excellent poker, which has been brought about in the last few years. Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States, with nearly 1.5 million people. Phoenix became a city in 1881 after being founded in 1868, near the Salt Lake. The city is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies, including Avnet, Allied Waste and Pinnacle West.
Popular Casinos
Casino’s in a city like Phoenix are sometimes used for a cooling down area. While this certainly is true, and continues today – the people of Phoenix are not afraid to spend some money while cooling down. The temperatures are not the only thing that is up all year – the wagers at many of the fine establishments continue to increase. There are several casino’s that operate around the Phoenix area: Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort, Magical Options, Gila River Casinos, Fort McDowell Casino, Casino Club and Bingo West of Arizona.
Professional Players
The city of Phoenix enjoys many top poker players, but three that represent such a great city so well are Johnny Chan and Mike Wattel. While not originally from Phoenix, Johnny Chan moved over from Hong Kong in 1962 to reside in Phoenix. Chan became the first Asian to play against many. In 1987 and 1988 he won the Championship Event of WSOP. Wattel started playing poker with his friends, and was so successful, he became a professional. His first real success came in 1999 when he entered the WSOP $1500 Omaha eight-or-better tournament and won his first bracelet. His total earnings within the game of poker sit at over $1 million. Lastly, Tom Schneider calls Phoenix home, and is not only a poker player, but a CPA, and has published his own book. Schneider did not start playing professional poker until age 2002. At that time, he was 43 years old.